Eagles coach Bill Vonada, who is considered a strong motivator, has prepared his team to face the Hurricanes head on.

"We told them, we're not going to lie to you," Vonada said. "They're a great football team. They're beyond great. Our players know what we're up against. We can't simulate what they do on the field. We're going to go out and do what we do. We'll try to find ways to slow them down. The game's not always won on paper."

Vonada showed his players plenty of film on the Hurricanes, including the 70-0 win against Central. If Springstead has played a comparable opponent, it wasOcala Lake Weir. In that game, the Eagles trailed by only a touchdown in the fourth quarter after squandering a few touchdown opportunities.

He offered Gainesville the ultimate praise.

"We're up against a phenomenal opponent, maybe the best we've ever seen," Vonada said. They are deep at every position. Everyone of them is talented. We take the approach we can't worry about anyone except ourselves."

Springstead replaced roughly two dozen seniors from last year's team, and what was expected to be a rebuilding season by many has turned into a potential playoff berth.

In typical Vonada fashion, he first wanted to mention the team's academic success, and rightfully so. Springstead's football players have a combined GPA of 3.25.

"We're happy with how we're performing," Vonada said. "We felt we did have a lot of kids to replace. We knew we had a lot of quality kids behind them."